Improvement in making paper buttons



UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

.ELISH'A M. POMEROY, OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAKING PAPER BUTTONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,281, dated September 23, 1843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA M. POMEROY, of Wallingford, inthe county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Mode of Mannfacturin g Composition Dead-Eye or Suspender Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my improvements consists in preparing the button to receivea smooth 'coat of varnish or the finishing-luster, and also in securing that luster to the button in the highest degree and by the most economical method. To enable others skilled in the art to use my invention and improvement, 1 proceed to describe the same as follows:

Take paper in sheets of suitablethickness, and out of the same cut blocks of the size re-. quired by means of the press and die commonly used in cutting out metallic and other dead-eye buttons. The blocks are then passed into a die, by means of which and a common press the buttons are shaped and the eyes punched. They are now immersed in a composition of linseed-oil, or any fixed oil and spirits of turpentine, in equal parts, or parts nearly equal, and when fully saturated the composition is drawn oft and the buttons removed in pans or other suitable vessels to the, kiln or oven, where they are baked for two or three days and until the buttons become dryand hard. They are now revolved in a cylinder which is perforated with holes, in order that the dust may escape, until the rough parts of the buttons are wholly removed, whenthey are put into another cylinder, together with so much Japan varnish or either of thefixed'bils as they will receive without adhering to 'each other, (which will be very nearly in the proportion of two quarts of the varnish or oil to one bushel of buttons,)and again rev'olveduntil the buttons become dry and present a perfectly smooth and polished surface. They are then removed in pans, as before, to the kiln or oven, and baked at a high heat until the coating last received by the button becomes too hard to incorporate with that which follows. In order to give them a proper lnsterthey maynow be immersed in varnish and spread on boards, in which state they may be baked; or (which is preferable) they may be put into a cylinder, together with so much Japan or other varnish as the buttons will receive upon their surface without adhering to each other,(which will be very nearly in the proportions of half a pint of varnish to one bushel of buttons,) and revolved until they have all received a light coating of the varnish, at which time, and before the luster is destroyed, they are'again re-' moved to the kiln and baked until dry, when they are finished and ready for packing.

I do not claim as my invention the cutting out or shaping the block, punching the eyes, hardening the button, or removing the roughness thereof by means of the cylinder; but

I do claim as my invention and as a new and useful improvement- 1. The process by which thebutton, afterits roughness is removed, is prepared to receive a smooth coat of varnish, and which consists in revolving the buttons in a cylinder with so much of Japan varnish or some of the fixed oils as they will receive without adhering to each other-,and. until they present a dry and polished surface, after which they are baked.

2. The mode of giving to the button, when prepared by the last-named process, a smooth coat of varnish or the finishing-luster, which said mode consists in revolving the buttons in a cylinder with so much Japan or other varnish as they will receive upon their surface, and until all have received a light coating of the varnish, at which time, and before they have lost theirluster, they are again removed to the kllll and baked until dry, when they are finished and prepared for packing, altsubstantially in manner specified above.

ELISHA M. POMEROY.

Witnesses:

EDGAR ATWATER,

JAMES C. HALL. 

